Pages

Friday, May 18, 2018

Spencer Cohen Book One by N.R. Walker Audiobook Review

Spencer Cohen is the guy who gets answers to relationship
questions. Playing the role of the new lover, his job is to make his client’s
ex realise one of two things: he doesn’t want to break up or he really does.
Either way, his client gets answers.

The ex would either apologize and beg, or turn and walk. But in the end,
Spencer’s client won. If he wanted his ex back and got him, it was great. If
the guy walked away, then as hard it was for the client, he knew it was over.
Regardless of the outcome, Spencer’s work was done.

Andrew Landon’s ex left him without so much as an explanation. But his sister
can’t stand to see him miserable, so, much to Andrew’s dismay, they hire
Spencer to be Andrew’s new boyfriend to get the ex back.

For Spencer, it is never personal. Merely a business transaction. No emotions,
no strings, no complications.

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Being a huge fan of Walker-Leslie audiobook collaborations, I already had the
Spencer Cohen series on my Audible Wish List. However, being offered a free
copy of book two for review purposes gave me the excuse I needed to buy book
one and begin the series sooner rather than later. I held off an entire day
before listening to it and am glad that I was home for the evening before I got
to the “gut wrenching, heartbreaking, where are the freaking tissues” scene because
I felt as though I was huddled on the floor right next to Spencer at that
moment, bawling my eyes out. While I’m getting ahead of myself here, I think
Walker’s talent for shredding my heart is why I’ve yet to read any of the
author’s books, preferring to enhance the heart wrenching experience with the
outstanding performances of the narrators she works with, especially those of
Joel Leslie.

I’ll confess that I have a weakness for an Australian accent, which undoubtedly
contributes to my fondness for the Walker-Leslie audiobooks I’ve listened to so
far. And while that may have given Spencer a bit of an edge when I began the
book, I quickly fell for the man as he revealed more and more of himself while
he was learning about and falling in love with Andrew. While the story is told
from Spencer’s perspective, the author still manages to give the reader the
opportunity to watch the scenes unfold from an ‘outside looking in’
perspective. So while Spencer observed Andrew’s various reactions, his
closeness to the situation prevented him from seeing them for what they were –
shock at being reminded that their dates were fake and that Spencer was simply
doing his job. But because we’re in Spencer’s head, we know that his feelings,
actions, and reactions are real and his attempts to remain professional are his
way of protecting his heart from being broken… again. Although we don’t find
out until the end of the book why it is that Spencer is trying so hard to
protect his heart, there are enough hints along the way that I knew when the
truth was revealed, my heart was going to hurt for Spencer. I was not wrong.
Thankfully, Spencer has a wonderful group of friends who banded together to
help him when he needed them. Even better was that his attention and affection
restored and fortified the personal confidence Andrew needed to give Spencer –
and the reader/listener – the happy for now ending and new beginning we all
deserved.

I need to invest in a thesaurus because I cannot find strong enough words to
compliment Joel Leslie’s narrative performances. He’s my second favorite
narrator and that’s mainly because I fell in love with another narrator first
and despite Leslie’s outstanding performances, Leslie has yet to oust him from
the top spot. But that doesn’t prevent me from falling down the rabbit hole
each and every time I cue up an audiobook narrated by Joel Leslie and Spencer
Cohen Book One was no exception. Not only did I love how he brought Spencer
and Andrew to life, hearts on the sleeves and all, but I love how he creates
distinct voices for the various characters, including and especially the women.
This is just one of the many things I enjoy about Leslie’s narrative
performances because it means that there’s no confusion as to who is speaking
during a scene, which makes it that much easier for me to fall into the story
that Walker has crafted. I absolutely loved Spencer Cohen Book One and
am so excited that books two and three are already out on audio as well because
I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with Spencer and Andrew.

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She
loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any
other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty
boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives
them life with words. She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things... but
likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one
day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

Joel Leslie is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a
British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre
from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic
combinations of American and British sounds. His great range and ability to
bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers
and listeners alike.

He is proud to have a strong following with m/m listeners and an ongoing
relationship with some of the finest writers in the genre. He loves that every
day he gets to share these beautiful, inspirational and empowering GLBT
characters with the world.

His authors have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose
ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his
impeccable delivery,” and a “true delight…" "his professionalism,
good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with,” "Anyone else would
only be second best.”

Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When
not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Get our review newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Love Young Adult Books?

The Wicked Reads: YA Edition blog has launched. The WR-YA blog will contain the same YA posts that appear on Wicked Reads, but it's safe to let the Young Adults in your life visit because there will be no adult content.